Michigan State University

History

Name Changes

• Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (1855) - This was the name by which the 1855 legislation referred to the nascent college.
• State Agricultural College (1861) - After a massive reorganization in 1861, the name was changed to something less unwieldy.
• Michigan Agricultural College (1909). By 1909 there were many agricultural colleges in the US. The name was changed to M.A.C. to remove ambiguity about what state the college was in. M.A.C. is almost always spelled with periods after each letter, which not only reflects early 20th Century spelling practices, but also lets readers know that the acronym is always pronounced M-A-C, and never "mack".
• Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science (1925). M.A.C. wanted to remove the word "agriculture" from its name, but the University of Michigan opposed the name change. This name was created as a compromise, but M.S.C. rarely used the "Agriculture and Applied Science" part of its name.
• Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (1955) On its hundredth anniversary, M.S.C. became a university, but wasn't allowed to remove its "agriculture" moniker.
• Michigan State University (1964). With the Michigan Constitution of 1964, MSU finally dropped the words "Agriculture and Applied Science" from its name. Unlike M.A.C., MSU very rarely uses periods in its acronym.

2005 Sesquicentennial

As of 2005, Michigan State is celebrating its 150th anniversary Sesquicentennial events include:

Related Topics:
As of 2005 - Anniversary

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• Replacing the terra cotta statue of "The Spartan" with a more durable bronze replica.
• Excavating Saints' Rest, the school's first dormitory building.
• Adding a western tower to Spartan Stadium that will include box seats and the original terra cotta Sparty statue.
• Dedicating a new bronze statue of former MSU president John A. Hannah in front of the eponymously named administration building.
• Installing sesquicentennial plaques in 12 historic campus buildings.
• Hosting a sesquicentennial exhibit in the MSU Museum